Essential Tips – Singapore Travel

Singapore is considered one of the best places to explore in Asia. It is safe, clean and undoubtedly, beautiful. If you intend to see and experience the beauty of this country, you may find these essential tips worth considering:

1. Plan in advance. When do you intend to go? What places do you wish to visit? Where do you want to stay? How much do you have to spend for your travel? How long do you want to stay?

These are some of the questions you would need to take into consideration, which would help you make an itinerary for your travel. Planning ahead of time can save you a lot through promotions and discounts offered by airlines and travel sites. It can also maximize your entire trip by choosing in advance which places you want to visit and incorporating these places in your itinerary.

2. Check major travel sites and budget airlines for promotions, discounts and coupons ahead of time. Travel sites such as CheapOair and OneTravel show comparative airfares from major airlines and offer promotions and discounts for your travel every now and then. Budget airlines such as Tiger Airways, Air Asia, Cebu Pacific and Airphil Express also offer flight discounts to Singapore several times a year. For your hotel, Hotels Combined, Hostel World and Rakuten Travel offer deals, discounts and a choice from a wide range of hotels/hostels in Singapore to enable you to choose and book in advance.

3. Take note of essential details.

A. Flights: In general, check-in counters open two to three hours prior to your scheduled flight and close 45 minutes before your scheduled time of departure. Visit the official website of your airline to know more information about check-in details and other requirements. Don’t forget to bring your passport, your valid ID and a printed itinerary or boarding pass, if you have checked-in online.

B. Hotel: Get the address of the hotel where you will be staying. A hotel near MRT/LRT station is preferable if you intend to explore Singapore using this transport system. Search for more information about location, features and room accommodation. Some hotels offer internet access in rooms and/or breakfast for free while others can provide the same for a fee. Check review sites as well to get feedback from customers who have been in the same hotel.

4. Take with you a copy of Singapore’s MRT andLRT system map. Although Singapore is a Southeast-Asian city-state covering around 710 square kilometers (274 square miles) in land area, you can actually travel from one end of the city to the other in a matter of hours through their excellent public transport system. This map is really essential if you are not familiar with the place and if you intend to explore the country using their public transport system (MRT, LRT, public bus). This will not only help you in planning your travel, but will help you save a lot of time exploring Singapore. Taxis are also available in Singapore, but this will cost you more compared with MRT, LRT and buses. Besides, taking the trains and buses in Singapore is considered safe, fast and inexpensive.

You can view this system map on lta.gov.sg website.

5. Take advantage of the promotions offered online by several attractions in Singapore and travel sites. Attractions like Singapore Zoo, Night Safari, Bird Park and even some travel sites offer special deals or discounts online so it is best to check their websites prior to travelling. Go Singapore Pass, Singapore City Tours, Singapore City Pass are some of the travel sites that offer deals and promotions on major attractions in Singapore.

6. If you intend to explore Singapore by MRT, LRT and/or public bus, purchase an EZ-Link card or a Singapore Tourist Pass. You will find this very handy in exploring the beauty of this country.

The ez-link card is a contactless card, so you simply need to tap to make your payment to the following Acceptance Points:

Public Transport

SBS Transit Buses and Trains

SMRT Buses and

Taxis and Private Transport

Food and Beverage

Shopping & Retail

Leisure & Entertainment

Government Services

Educational Institutes

Community Centres

Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) and Electronic Parking System (EPS)

Used only in the new Dual-Mode In-vehicle Unit (IU) for ERP and EPS payments

Others/ Self Services

For a complete list of acceptance points, please check the official website of EZ Link (you will find the link below).

Where to purchase:

You can purchase ez-link cards at 42 TransitLink Ticket Offices and 6 Concession Card Replacement Offices located at MRT stations and bus interchanges, at Passenger Service Centres within most MRT Stations and at 7-Eleven stores, including those located at Shell petrol kiosks.

Validity: An ez-link card is valid for use for 5 years from the date that it is encoded for use by EZL and thereafter the ez-link card shall expire. EZL may in its discretion and from time to time extend the Validity Period for any or all types of ez-link cards.

Cost: An ez-link card sold at TransitLink Ticket Offices, Concession Card Replacement Offices and Passenger Service Centres costs $12, out of which $7 is stored value for use. Cards sold at 7-Eleven cost $10, out of which $5 is stored value for use. The remaining $5 is the cost of the card and it is non-refundable.

For more info on EZ-Link Cards, please check ezlink.com website.

The Singapore Tourist Pass is the only pass that offers tourists unlimited rides on Singapore’s public transport system which includes the MRT, LRT and basic bus services. This excludes Express, Fast Forward, Night Rider, Night Owl, Chinatown Direct and other premium and niche bus services. The Pass also comes bundled with exclusive merchant offerings especially packaged for tourist who purchase the Pass.

The Pass is a product of EZ-Link Pte Ltd and is developed with the support of the Land Transport Authority of Singapore (LTA) and the Singapore Tourism Board (STB). The Pass is also issued with the Public Transport Guide which has information on how to get around Singapore using public transport.

Besides enjoying unlimited rides on MRT and LRT trains and basic bus services, you may use the pass to redeem the offers at selected merchants as well. You can review some of the current Merchant Offers at the “Merchant Offerings” section of thesingaporetouristpass.com website. All you need to do is flash your pass and submit the relevant coupons in the Welcome Pack to redeem your privileges.

Where to Purchase:

The Singapore Tourist Pass can be purchased at Transitlink ticket offices from the following SMRT stations:

Changi Airport* 12:00 pm – 03:45 pm & 04:45 pm – 07:30 pm Daily

Orchard 10:00 am – 09:00 pm Daily

Chinatown* 12:00 pm – 03:45 pm & 04:45 pm – 07:30 pm pm Daily

City Hall 09:00 am – 09:00pm &Daily

Raffles Place 08:00 am – 09:00 pm on Weekdays 08:00 am – 05:00 pm on Saturdays.

Closed on Sundays and Public Holidays.

Ang Mo Kio 08:00 am – 09:00 pm Daily

HarbourFront* 10:00 am – 09:00 pm Daily

Bugis 10:00 am – 09:00 pm Daily

*Please note that there is a 1-hour break between 03:45 pm to 04:45 pm for these locations.

You may also visit The Singapore Tourist Pass website for more information or click here http://www.thesingaporetouristpass.com.sg/get-singapore-tourist-pass/

The travel pass can be activated within one (1) year from the date of purchase.

Validity: the validity of the pass is pegged to the operational hours of MRT and LRT trains and basic bus services, and not upon the 24hr clock of a normal calendar day. For example, if a tourist purchases a 1-Day pass at 1700 (5pm), the pass is good for use till the end of that operational day for basic bus and train services, which is typically about 0030 (12.30am) or the early hours of the next calendar day.

Cost: The Singapore Tourist Pass is available in 3 options – 1-Day, 2-Day or 3-Day pass.

Singapore Tourist Pass Price

Local Overseas

1 Day Pass $10

2 Day Pass $16

3 Day Pass $20

Passes bought or issued in Singapore at authorized sales counters come with a rental deposit of S$10 which is refundable, so long as the card is returned within 5 days of issuance.

By Harriet

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